Formula One is a mess but the sport is failing to even acknowledge it has a problem, according to John Watson. The former driver, who won five grands prix and is now better known as a commentator, said major changes are needed to save the sport.

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If Nico Rosberg needed some gentle words of encouragement after his vanquishing by Lewis Hamilton in the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim they certainly did not come from the Mercedes head of motorsport, Toto Wolff.

In Germany on Saturday evening Lewis Hamilton spoke out against the rejection of the halo head protection device for 2017 – but perhaps he already has one. For in recent races there has been a nimbus hanging over his colourful helmet, a luminous cloud of stardust that sets him apart from his fellows.